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Voices From The Front III

Posted by Cynewulf on Thursday, December 21, 2006 8:28:25 PM
Two more links from the Tampa Tribune's most excellent "Voices From The Front" series:

Lt. Arthur Ray - 10/9/05

"We're well-versed in law enforcement operations. Conducting boardings is like second nature to us. Queries, escorts, we can do all that. I definitely think we're needed. I was out here four years ago doing boardings in the same Arabian Gulf."

Lance Cpl. Alex Diaz - 10-23-05

"The older generation, they're very standoffish. They're not used to new people. The younger generation is very accepting."

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"Que pasa, Julio"

Posted by Cynewulf on Monday, December 18, 2006 10:43:42 PM
If this is a sign of things to come, we might be smoking Cubans (legally) sooner than we think.  Perhaps with lightening rod Fidel gone, the hard-liners won't take such a hard line anymore. 

For those of you who won't bother to read the article, it's about two men on opposite sides of the fence (revolutionary and exile counter-revolutionary), who've been getting together to talk for the past four years.  Of particular note is this quote by Miami lawyer, Tony Zamora (the exile counter-revolutionary):

"You have to accept that the revolution happened and it changed Cuba.  Objectively, that's where you have to start from." 

Based on this, he favors "a sweeping law recognizing all current residents of property as the uncontested owners. Such a law, he argues, is the only way to guarantee stability and avoid legal battles that could tear the island apart."

This seems to me the wisest choice.  Interesting times. 

Update:

A column on this topic (and Che) by Floyd Brown appeared on Townhall today (12-19-06).  If you're interested, you can check that out here.
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A Legal Kill?

Posted by Cynewulf on Sunday, December 17, 2006 8:33:04 PM
After writing the Dr. Kevorkian post and reading Scottie's post on abortion, I thought I'd post the lyrics to a King's X song off of their very excellent album, Faith Hope Love:

Legal Kill

only know what i believe
the rest is so absurd to me
i close my eyes so i cant see
but the picture just gets clearer everyday
i read somewhere to learn is to remember
and ive learned we all forgot
there was peace in her before
but that was yesterday
but i can see the beauty that is here for me
the chance to live and walk free
from a legal kill
i know your side so very well
it makes no sense that i can tell
the smell of hell is what i smell
and you hand it out with handshakes everyday
i have trouble with the persons with the signs
but i feel the need to make my own
yes there are two ways to be
and truth does not depend on me
but i can feel the fight for life is always real
i cant believe its no big deal
its a legal kill

It's a mostly acoustic song, and at the end, as it's fading out, they slip in "glory to the newborn" (no voices, just instruments) from "Hark!  The Herald Angels Sing."  It's a nice touch.
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Return of Dr. Kevorkian

Posted by Cynewulf on Thursday, December 14, 2006 11:21:16 PM
Looks like the good doc will be out on parole in June.  Declining health and a promise to forgo suicide assists.  There's two reasons I thought I'd bring this to your attention, and they're in the same quote (from this AP blurb):

"I assumed it was a constitutional issue of choice.  I learned the best way to approach this issue is at the legislative level."

First, he deserves some kind of award for understatement.  I keep wanting to insert "the hard way" right after "learned."

Second (relish this because it may be the only time you hear it), we have a leftist who actually admits that the best way for change (at least in this one area) is legislatively.  Not through the courts.  Of course, he only learned it late in life (the hard way), but maybe he'll pass that on to the younger generation of death dealers.  No, really.  It could happen.
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Voices From The Front II

Posted by Cynewulf on Saturday, December 09, 2006 8:09:46 PM
Here's the next couple of links from the Tampa Tribune's "Voices From The Front" series:

Specialist Maria Mengrone - 9/18/05

"I did get to work with [Iraqi] recruits who were trying out for the special forces ... and the motivation ... was overwhelming. ... It showed me that they are very determined to do whatever they can to do right by their country."

Major Mark Cuttle - 9/26/05

"As a civil affairs company commander, I put a friendly face on the American presence here by visiting schools, delivering supplies, opening clinics, treating their animals."
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Can We Talk?

Posted by Cynewulf on Thursday, December 07, 2006 9:54:49 PM
I've posted the link to this article several times on various blogs and columns on Townhall.  It's "Can Humanists Talk to Postmodernists?"by Mark Goldblatt, and it deals with words and truth.  Here's the opening paragraph:

"The short answer to the short question posed by my short title (bereft of postcolonial discourse since it has no colon) is no. Humanists cannot talk to postmodernists. This might seem paradoxical at first since people who consider themselves humanists do, in fact, talk to people who consider themselves postmodernists every day. They meet, for example, in faculty dining rooms and on payroll lines, and they discuss, for example, whether the cafeteria chili should be avoided or whether their health plans cover anti-depressants."

It seems like I'm always running into people on Townhall that change the meaning of words at will to suit their purpose.  To them, words are fluid.  Except when it's time to support speech codes.  You see, apparently, words become definite and concrete when these people don't like the words you use.  To simplify it, they will take whatever you say and assume the worst meaning possible.  Actually, they often skip the possible part and invent what you're saying.  You didn't say it, but they're saying you said it, and you're a Nazi because of it.  Clear? 

Conversely, if they say something, they will attribute to it the best possible meaning.  And if for some reason there is no best meaning, then they were just joking.  Funny, but when we're really joking, it doesn't matter.  We're insensitive bigots.  This, by the way, is why there are no paradoxes in the leftist world.

A related issue to this is the changing the meaning of certain words for political purposes.  In this instance, they attribute definite meanings to a few (more than a few actually) select words, but the meanings they attribute have nothing to do with what the words originally meant.  This is not to be confused with the changing of a word's meaning over an extended time by common usage.  It is the deliberate changing of meanings for political purposes. 

For a better idea on this read Scottie's essay, "Redefining Words."  It's an excellent read, and I can't recommend it enough.  In fact, the idea for this post came from it.

By the way:
"they" = leftists
"we" and "you" = conservatives
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New York Trans

Posted by Cynewulf on Wednesday, December 06, 2006 8:18:45 PM
Don't go looking for trans fats in New York City.  They've been banned.  No more hydrogenation for you.  Apparently Big Broth, er, Mayor Bloomberg is worried about your weight and health.  Restaurants have until mid 2008 to comply.  Stock up while you can.  New York may end up with an oil shortage.  "Concerns have been raised about whether there is enough trans-fat-free cooking oil on the market to supply the city's thousands of friers."  Prepackaged foods are exempt from the ban.  No word yet on if they'll be hunting down private citizens in their kitchens who are using out-of-city trans fats.  It looks like the citizens are cool with it as long as it results in them living longer.  And this isn't the only bit o' wackiness afoot.  On the opposite coast, it looks like there is a battle against cardboard that smells like cookies.  Check out Scatbug's blog for more on that.
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Voices From the Front

Posted by Cynewulf on Tuesday, December 05, 2006 11:59:47 PM

The Tampa Tribune has had an ongoing series called "Voices From the Front." About once a week, they interview someone serving in the armed forces. They started this in September of ‘05. They are really neat reads, so I figured every couple of days I’d post the links to a couple of them on my blog. I’m going to start at the beginning and work my way to the present. I haven’t read all of them myself, so it will be interesting to see if there are any common themes. Enjoy reading them. Here’s the first couple:

9-6-05:  Major Bill Cowling
http://tampatrib.com/opinion/MGBTI7TLADE.html


9-14-05:  Sgt. 1st Class Elbert "JR" Jetton
http://tampatrib.com/opinion/MGBEV22ZHDE.html

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A Warning To You All

Posted by Cynewulf on Sunday, December 03, 2006 11:32:46 AM
If you ever happen to find yourself in Florida, make sure you steer away from doing these two things, especially at the same time:

1.  Smoking crack cocaine
2.  Swimming nude in a lake

Otherwise, well, take a look.

Consider this your first and only warning.


More info and an audio of the 911 call.
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